Idiom
get one's act together
Meaning
To become serious, organized, worthwhile, etc.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Examples
“You need to get your act together before the exam.”
“If he does not get his act together soon, he will lose his job.”
“After years of aimless wandering, she finally decided to get her act together and pursue a serious career in medicine.”
Examples
simple
“You need to get your act together before the exam.”
contextual
“If he does not get his act together soon, he will lose his job.”
complex
“After years of aimless wandering, she finally decided to get her act together and pursue a serious career in medicine.”
Origin
A mid-20th-century idiom, the phrase draws a comparison between personal organisation and the professional preparation required to rehearse and polish a theatrical performance. It posits the individual as a performer who must assemble the constituent parts of an act before the curtain may reasonably rise.
Key words
Related idioms
- Updated